Chapter 9
“ D addy, whyzd Mummy comes from yours roomed?”
Shit! I startled when I exited my room and Hope was waiting, a bag overflowing with dolls, tea party stuff, and other toys were scatter in the hall between the three rooms Ruby, Hope, and I stayed in. Hope usually went to my parents in the mornings, as after my mother came and got her every morning for over a week straight, Hope then decided to just get up and go to my mother instead. My parents were early risers. So I was surprised to see Hope waiting and not with Nanny and Poppy.
Hope had her own room next to Ruby’s, and their rooms were across from me. The door handle to Ruby and Hope’s rooms had been moved lower so it was easier for Hope to enter and exit. We now had mini-stools scattered around the house for Hope too so she could reach things.
I had a feeling Hope had chosen her outfit today. She was adorable, as always, her ringlets in disarray with a bunch of pink Disney princess ribbons clipped all over. She wore a purple tutu skirt, a yellow shirt with a unicorn on it, and bright, sparkly rainbow boots. She didn’t match at all, but it worked.
“Princess, where is your mum?”
“Mummy gets dressed. I sawed her comes from yours roomed, butts I waited fors you.” She gave me a beaming smile. I crouched down and picked her up and kissed her cheek.
“Mummies and daddies sleep in the same room. Like Nanny and Poppy do.”
She nodded her head dramatically. “Aha, ’liva’s mummy and daddy sleep in same roomed. She’d tolds me. So dos Zoes.” Those were the two girls Hope was closest to at daycare. She gazed at me with big, bright eyes that were just like her mother’s. “Does yous snoreded like Poppy? Poor Nanny.” She shook her head and frowned.
Chuckling, I go to her room so I can fix her hair and make sure she has underwear and socks on. Her room looked like a toy store had exploded in it. I wondered how long she’d been up. I knew our housekeeper cleaned Hope’s room every day. I had a feeling today it would take her longer than it usually did to tidy. I wondered why Hope didn’t come into the room to wake Ruby and I up.
“No, baby girl, I don’t snore like Poppy.” I put her down and searched her dressing table for the brush. “Mummy did though.” I winked at her, and she giggled. “Why didn’t you come and wake us?”
“Nooo,” she said between giggles. “Mummy nots snoreded. I knowed. I watched her alls the times.”
Finding the baby hairbrush, I gripped it in one hand while I bopped her on the nose and then carefully removed some of the clips from her curls. “You’re right. I was just tricking. Why didn’t you come into the room and wake us?”
“I tells Nanny I go to Mummy, butts she not in her room.” She shrugged. “Sos I waits for her. I sees her comes from yours.” She dramatically looked around. “I sneaks and watchs. Shes goes to hers. Sos isa went and gots my toys so wes can plays when she dressed. I want Mummy.” She placed her hands on her hips and yanked her head away from me as I got the last clip out.
“Princess, le?—”
“Hope Decker. Where are you, young lady?” Ruby’s voice had turned darker. It was a mum voice. I’d never heard her use this stern voice before.
“Oh nos, isa in troubles.” Hope’s big gaze darted around the room before she ran around to hide behind my legs as Ruby entered the room, her hands filled with the toys from the hall and the sitting room they had.
Ruby tripped on a stuffed teddy and stumbled, dropping things. She gasped. “Who did this to your room? Hope Decker, this is not how we keep our room, is it?” Ruby placed the things left in her arms on the bed. She shook her head as she looked around the room. Her eyes narrowed when they caught mine, and her lips thinned in a frown when she spotted Hope hiding behind my legs. “We will be tidying this now.” Ruby had her hands on her hips as she looked at Hope, who now clung to my legs.
Now, I usually wasn’t so stupid as to interfere with a mother and child, but Hope was so cute and only two, she shouldn’t have to clean this, but I should have known to keep my mouth shut. “It’s all good. The cleaner will just clean it like she always does.”
Ruby’s gaze snapped to mine. “What do you mean ‘like the cleaner always does’?”
“Ooohhhh, troubles.” Hope’s whispered voice had a chuckle I tried to cover with clearing my throat. I leaned down and picked her up. She was just so adorable.
“No,” Ruby snapped. “Put her down, Derick. There will be no park until this is tidy. She needs to learn to clean up. Toys are in the hall, sitting room, and Hope knows we don’t get more toys out until we’ve finished playing with the others. Right, Hope?” Ruby dropped one of her hands from her waist and raised a brow, waiting for Hope’s answer.
Hope shook her head. “Butts Mummmys, I wants us to plays. Yous nevers plays any mored. Yous bussy.”
Ruby’s whole demeaner changed. Her eyes became dull, almost grey, and I could see the tears filling them. Her mouth wobbled, and she rushed forward. I eased Hope down, and before her feet even touched the ground, Ruby held her in her embrace.
Ruby gave a choked sob. “Baby girl, I’m so sorry.” She caressed Hope’s face and peppered her with kisses. “All you have to do is ask and I promise I will always try to stop what I’m doing so I can be with you.” She kissed Hope on the forehead, lingering for a moment. “Mummy is sorry she’s been so busy lately. How about today, we have a special day, just you and me playing together all day. You can even sleep with Mummy in her bed.” She placed Hope back on the floor.
I opened my mouth to say Ruby was sleeping with me tonight, but she must have eyes in the back of her head, because she stood, and her gaze captured mine, almost like she dared me to contradict her, because if I did, she’d cut off something that I was very fond of. My daughter, though, had my back. She grabbed her mother’s hand, and Ruby looked back at Hope.
“Oktay Mummy, butts will Daddy fits in bed with us, cos isa big girls and yous says I hogs the bed.” I resisted the urge to laugh as she placed her hands on her hips and raised one brow, mimicking her mother moments before.
Before Ruby could deny or try to keep me out, I replied, “The bed is big. I promise we’ll fit, princess.”
Hope studied me and then her mother before she nodded, sighed, and started picking up teddies.
Ruby started tidying too. I debated if I should remind her that we have a cleaner but decided against it. Going to Ruby, I noticed tears were sliding down her cheeks. Gathering her into my embrace, I hugged her, but for the first time ever, she’s stiff in my hold. I hoped we hadn’t just taken ten steps back.
Ruby
I was the worst mother. I was selfish. Right now, I didn’t feel like I deserved my beautiful angel. I loved my daughter. She was usually my whole universe. The last couple of months had been chaos. At the recovery house I still only had Hope. The only time she hadn’t been with me was when she or I spoke to the therapists and counselors. Since moving in with the Silverman family so much had changed.
Hope spent more time away from me than she ever had. For her whole life it had only been me and sometimes my brother. Before moving in with the Silverman family she still slept in the same bed as me. Hope had only started sleeping in a bed of her own in the recovery house, but most nights ended up in bed with me. Now she had her own room.
I thought Hope was enjoying the freedom she was having from me and all the attention she got from everyone else, but I should have known she was missing me. I felt awful for being so caught up with myself. I was too busy making the world revolve around myself, with school and making friends. Guilt assaulted me. I hated being away from her, but I thought she was thriving and needed to be more independent and expand her world, meeting new people.
My heart still hurt from when she’d told me earlier that I didn’t play with her anymore, because it was true. I used to play with Hope all the time: drawing, dolls, having tea parties, and going to the park almost every day to play chase. She loved the park for all the equipment. The slides were her favorite, and she would have me push her for hours on the swings if she could.
This coming week was a big one. Not only was Toby coming home, but it was Hope’s birthday Friday and the teachers were having a strike mid-week. I’d been debating if I should take the day off TAFE, but after what she’d just said there was no doubt I was going to be with her all day on her birthday.
Hope and I were at our favorite park. We’d been here now for almost two hours. I was sure Hope would be hungry soon. We’d cleaned her room up before coming here, and I promised we would have a tea party when we got home. We’d been having a great time. I’d brought a ball, and we’d kicked it back and forth to each other as Hope told me about everything she thought I’d missed, which was what she’d been dreaming about the last couple of nights, and that she was upset with one of Derick’s cousins as he had made one of her daycare teachers cry.
This was Hope’s favorite teacher, and Daddy had to help calm his cousin because he tried to take her over his shoulder away with them when they left. Hope told me about her day when I picked her up from daycare and when she spent the day with Derick’s parents, but she hadn’t gone this in depth, and she definitely didn’t tell me about this incident. I needed to have a chat with Derick and find out why he hadn’t told me about this. I was grateful that the Silvermans owned the daycare and I wouldn’t have to worry about the trouble caused.
“Mummy, higher,” Hope cried as I pushed her on the swing.
I gazed around as tingles traveled up and down my back and the hairs on my skin stood on end. I spotted three bodyguards, but it wasn’t them watching that made me feel uneasy. I hadn’t felt this creepy feeling since the SWAT team had rescued me and Hope. It had been nice feeling safe and comfortable. But now, something didn’t feel right.
I studied my surroundings. On the riding, walking, and jogging paths I saw a flash of black leather jackets, and a stocky build and a shorter, scruffier one. I would know those vests anywhere. I gazed over to the security and then back to where I saw the leather jackets, but when I looked back no one was there.
Shaking off the unease. I gathered Hope and decided it was time for us to leave. I hoped I was just feeling off because of how guilty I felt about spending less time with Hope and that my father’s gang wasn’t trying to hurt me again.
Derick hadn’t left my side since I’d come back from the park unless I went to TAFE. Something was up, and we needed to have a talk. He was missing university, and I didn’t want him to mess with his education. It had been three days since the park, and I kept getting the bad feeling, but now it was only when I was at TAFE. That was the only place I’d left the house for though.
I should have had a talk with Derick sooner, but I was annoyed with myself and still felt guilty over Hope and spending less time with her. She had slept with Derick and I for the last couple of nights, snuggled into me, and then Derick usually settled behind me, spooning. His arm would rest around both of us, and I loved how cared for I felt. I think Hope could feel I was off and something wasn’t feeling right, and that’s why she wasn’t sleeping in her own room.
“I just got a reply from the last two kids in her class.” Derick came into the rumpus room and sat on the chair opposite me. He picked up a teacup and pretended to drink. Teddies took up two other seats, and Hope sat at the head. She had been telling us about how fun her party was going to be.
Who knew a three-year-old’s party could be so big? Last week we handed out the invitations, and I was surprised I’d already heard back from all the parents but two in her class saying their child would be attending. Evelin was going all out. I had given up on even trying to curb her.
“Yaayyyy!” Hope squealed. “Everybos’ is comings.” She slid off the chair and did a wiggle dance, her fist pumped in the air and her hips shook. It was utterly adorable. She stopped suddenly and came to me. “Mummys, whats ’bout Miss Jasmine and Miss Soph’?”
Jasmine and Sophie were her favorite teachers at the school. Jasmine had started teaching at the daycare the same day Hope started. Hope loved that her name was the same as a Disney princess, and she seemed to like Disney movies just as much as Hope. Sophie was an intern who was doing childcare as part of her high school certificate. She was sixteen, and from what I’d seen, she was a sweet girl, very quiet, so much so she reminded me a little of myself before I met the Silverman family. She only worked at the daycare center one full day and a half day as she was in school. Hope adored her.
“Baby girl, Miss Jasmine and Miss Sophie have adult things I’m sure they want to do on a Friday afternoon.” I brushed her hair from her face and leaned down and kissed her cheek.
She pushed at me and glared at not just me but Derick. “Naha, Daddy, yous tells Mummy hows they loves me.” She straightened and rolled back her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, making sure we knew who was in charge. “Iza askedd ifs they’d comes, butts they don’ts cos yous forgots theirs invites.” She shook her head in disappointment. Her eyes blazed golden and her lips turned down in a frown as she stared at me and Derick. He laughed but I resisted, barely. “I tells thems I gives tomorrow.”
I didn’t think a sixteen-year-old and a woman who was maybe a year or so older than me wanted to spend their Friday night with a bunch of two-and three-year-olds, when they’d either been with them all week or had been at school. I didn’t think my daughter would understand that though. So I tried another tactic. “Princess, we can’t just invite two teachers from daycare. That would be unfair to the other teachers.”
She went over to Derick and climbed onto his lap. I felt a little jealous when she went to him and not me and whispered in his ear, albeit very loudly, “Cans I invites them allz?”
He sighed, looked over at me, and I looked away. Ever since the other day when he’d said Hope didn’t have to tidy her room, he referred everything to me. He knew I wasn’t happy that he said that to her. I wanted Hope to learn to clean up after herself. We had to make sure everything was clean and tidy before we moved in here, no one had done any of it before for us. I didn’t want her to become spoiled either. It was the right thing to do too, and I wanted her to learn that. Derick had been brought up differently, and with things like that, it really showed how spoiled he was. It wasn’t his fault, I knew, but I wanted Hope to learn. I needed to have a talk with Derick.
On a sigh, I caught his gaze and nodded. It looked like we were inviting the teachers too.
Derick
I had debated yesterday whether I should ask Ruby about the rest of my family coming to the party at the Fun Palace. We’d originally planned for her to meet them on Saturday for an early dinner as a family party for Hope, and a way for her to meet the rest of the family and it not be so overwhelming.
I knew though if Jasmine came, so would Jaxson. He’d found her, and ironically, she worked for the daycare center we owned and was one of Hope’s favorite teachers. Jasmine wasn’t giving him the time of day though. Andrew had asked to come too, and if he did, so would Oakley. I then had a feeling the rest of the family would be offended if I didn’t invite them. It was one more thing I needed to talk to Ruby about.
Ruby and I really needed to talk. I understood why we hadn’t had the chance. She’d been upset by what Hope had said the other day, so when she wasn’t at TAFE, she spent all her time with Hope. I knew she was feeling guilty. My mum had told me to tread lightly as a mother’s guilt was a hard issue to discuss and for men to have input into. Ruby and Hope had been through a lot of big changes, so I knew it would take time for things to settle. It wasn’t easy to have an adult talk with a toddler around all the time.
With Hope excited for daycare today, and it being a strike day for teachers, Ruby and I didn’t have TAFE or university. I was going to spend as much time as I could with just Ruby and I and get the much-needed talk we needed to have in.
I had a surprise date for her organized. It would mean we had all our security with us, except for Hope’s guys. I prayed the day would go off without needing them. Brand wasn’t too happy. He thought it was too dangerous, especially after last week. Last week a couple of the Devil’s Queens made bail, and on top of that, we’d found out that some men from other chapters were arriving. It was why I wasn’t letting my family out of my sight. When Brand told me they’d seen them when Ruby and Hope had been at the park the other day but the men had fled when Sloane and Dan went over to them, I freaked. I made sure we had extra people for their security, and I wasn’t leaving their side if I could help it. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to them ever again.
Hope had been up since the crack of dawn, and Ruby had slipped out of bed at six to sort her out. She had daycare today, but it didn’t open until seven. Usually, Hope didn’t arrive there until after eight, closer to nine. Today though she was excited to give the invitations to the teachers at school, or so I thought.
I found my woman and daughter in the dining room eating a full breakfast of toast, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and avocado. My parents were there too, and surprisingly, so was Tyson. He wasn’t one to socialize and kept to himself. He wasn’t one of the cousins I was close to. He was all about his restaurants and keeping his reputation pristine. You wouldn’t find any pictures of him drunk with models or dating a lot of different women. He was a celebrity chef. His image was all about being the good guy. He was closer to Dustan’s age too.
“Morning.” I went by Hope and kissed her forehead before I made my way to sit beside Ruby. “Why is Hope sitting next to Tyson and not you or Mum?” I asked as I sit down.
“Daddy, hes makes my cakes.” Hope rolled her eyes, and even though she was being cheeky, it was adorable.
Raising my brow at Tyson, I waited for him to answer. He didn’t bake often, but when he did, we all fought for whatever cake, pie, or sweet treat he’d made. Tyson wasn’t just a talented chef, he was the best baker too. He didn’t do it very often though, so for him to make a cake for Hope, I really appreciated it.
He shrugged. “There is no way I can resist her.” He smiled at Hope, who beamed back at him.
Hope held up two pictures. “This one fors party.” She held up a drawing of a rainbow unicorn cake. Not just a cake with a unicorn on it, but a unicorn with legs, tail, and horn. The other drawing she held up was of a rainbow, held by a puppy that looked like her Sunny. I had no idea how Tyson was going to make these, but I looked forward to seeing what he came up with. “This one for allz us.” I assumed the rainbow dog one was for Saturday.
“That’s really cool, princess,” I said.
Ruby nodded her head in agreement and sent another beaming smile to Tyson. Hope blew him a kiss and I could see him melting, already under her control.
“Are you going to be okay to get those done by Friday and another for Saturday?” I asked. They looked like a lot of work, and Tyson was a perfectionist.
“You don’t have to do what’s on the pictures,” Ruby said. “Trust me, she will be happy with anything. She’s only had cakes from Coles and Woolworths before, so I’m sure anything you do will be amazing. If you can’t, I’ll just get her a cake from there again.”
The horrified look that came over Tyson’s face was priceless. His green gaze went wide, his eyebrow rose up, and his mouth was open as he shook his head. “These will be no problem. Piece of cake.” He winked at Ruby, and she giggled at his bad line. I shot him a glare as a warning to stop flirting with my woman.
“Daddy,” Hope said, causing Ruby to turn her attention to her daughter, “isa wanna goes on specials days withs Mummy and yous too.”
I was surprised as yesterday she couldn’t wait for daycare today. I didn’t mind her going, but I had been looking forward to some time alone with Ruby.
“I thought you wanted to give your teachers at daycare their invitations?” I reached over to the breakfast trays and helped myself.
“I does. Butts I wants to goes on specials days toos.” She pouted and pushed her plate away and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Baby girl, there is no need for you to pout and cross your arms like that,” Ruby reprimanded. “You have a special day coming up on Friday, and you’re having a big birthday party and then having another celebration with all of the family. School is important too. I thought you like learning?”
My heart soared when she said family and not Derick’s family or even daddy’s. Did this mean she realized she was a part of our family? I really hoped so.
Hope sighed and uncrossed her arms. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She grabbed the plate and picked at the food on it while she drew on some paper.
“What am I supposed to wear on this surprise day out?” Ruby had me turning my focus back on her.
“Comfortable. It’s going to be a big day.”
Brand wasn’t happy that we were at Dreamworld. He thought we were too vulnerable here. Too exposed to an attack, especially since the Devil’s Queens have been seen following us. They had tried to get Ruby twice now—once at the park when we first noticed them around again, and the other time they’d apparently tried coming to the house. That had been a big mistake. The house security was extreme, and my parents had turned the new house into a fortress. It had everything from panic rooms, hidden passages known only to a select few, underground escapes, motion sensors, and hidden cameras.
The family also owned, through shell companies of course, the houses around us. A lovely family paid next to nothing to live in one, Jaxson had currently claimed another, and my parents were looking into a couple of families for another, and they’d offered one to me.
Thanks to our money though you wouldn’t know we lived in a house more secure than Alcatraz. We had the best of the best. We’d caught the two bikers, and they were now in the hands of the police.
We paid for the insane security we had, so I figured why not make them work for their paycheck. I was sick of being a victim, and I wasn’t going to hide anymore. We were always on people’s radar. The Devil’s Queens biker group was one of many. My family had a lot of companies and shell companies. We got a lot of death threats. When you had the kind of money we had and did business deals like my family had and still did, unfortunately, it comes with enemies.
Ruby’s squeal of joy had my focus returning from my thoughts to her. Our entourage was huge as we walked to the entrance of Dreamworld.
“Oh my God. Dreamworld,” Ruby yelled excitedly. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tight. “Thank you. I needed some fun.” She rose on tiptoes and kissed me. The car windows were tinted so she’d had no idea where we’d come. Now that we were in front of the entry, she was abuzz with excitement.
Easing from her embrace, I took her hand and intertwined our fingers as I headed to the entry gates. “I can’t believe you’ve lived on the Gold Coast and haven’t been to the theme parks. We are going to remedy that. Today we’re having a Dreamworld date.”
“Not everyone has money to spend on things like this. It costs a lot to go to the theme parks. Toby took me to a fair once. He said that the theme parks are just like that.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew it was. “I have money saved now, but this is still going to cost me a lot.”
“Why would it cost you a lot of money?” This was a date, and there was no way my woman was paying for anything. She deserved to be spoiled, and I had the means to do it.
Ruby wasn’t getting it though. She kept thinking and acting like she was still poor. She was mine, and that meant that what was mine belonged to her too. I had to get her to understand. I couldn’t spend the day arguing with her as she tried to pay for things. She could keep the little money she had. I didn’t need it or want it. I needed her to understand that she didn’t need to worry now either or use the money she got from the government.
“My family is very wealthy. You don’t have to ever pay for anything.” I squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, I know you’re rich. It’s why my father’s gang took you.” She tried to untangle our fingers.
“Ha, if they really knew what we were worth, they’d combust. We’re richer than we state. We have shell companies and money hidden everywhere. My family decided a long time ago we don’t all want the limelight. Some of us want to live a normal life.”
“Normal,” she huffed. “Even I, who hasn’t had much and am far from normal myself, know you are even further from normal than me.”
Rolling my eyes, I smirked at my woman, because I still didn’t think she was getting my point. “Fine, as normal as possible life. It’s bad enough now with all the attention we get. It would be worse if we were all known to be so crazy wealthy that we could buy some countries. My cousins Orion and Maddox are actors, and I have no idea how they handle the attention they get.”
“Tyson is famous with his own show too,” Ruby added as we stopped at a side entry to the park. Brand had organized for us to get in safely. “I’m shocked he’s got the time to do Hope’s—not one, but two—extravagant cakes. Oh, and doesn’t your aun?—”
Letting go of her hand. I turned her so she faced me and tilted her chin so she stared into my eyes. “Okay, I get it, but what I’m trying to get at, very badly, is that me taking you here and spending this money on you isn’t even a drop in my, our, bucket. We have a shit-ton of money. Argh, why do I sound like a jack arse? Ruby, I don’t want you to ever worry about money again.” I held my hand up as she opened her mouth. “No but . You are more than just my girlfriend, Ruby. You’re my woman. So what’s mine is yours. I mean it when I say you’re my soulmate. You are mine.”
I pulled her against me and claimed her mouth. Tracing her lips with my tongue, seeking entry, before her own meets mine and she melts against me.
I’d learned Ruby had rescued and saved a bunch of women from her father’s club, and she’d even helped some of her half-siblings escape. I wondered why she stayed herself. She was always looking out for others. She put everyone but herself first. I wanted Ruby to let go and have fun.
“Today is your day, Ruby. What do you want to do, see, and go on?” It was time to have fun. Ruby had been looking after others for so long, she needed to learn to let go and take care of herself, and sometimes that meant just having a day of excitement and loads of fun.
The pupils in her eyes became huge, and the color of her eyes went grey. Her mouth opened wide, and then she blinked a couple of times. I handed her my phone so she could look at the map. She stared at it for a while before she darted her gaze around us. We had four guards close, but I knew we had a bunch more scattered about. We had VIP passes, which would help us pass any lines.
“Water rapids first.” Ruby yanked on my arm and nudged me toward the ride. “I want to build up to the more…” She stopped and looked at the map. “Scary, er, adventurous rides.”
Her bottom lip went between her teeth, and she chewed on it as she gazed around in wonder. She was nervous, scared, and I thought maybe a little overwhelmed, but the sparks shining bright in her eyes and the skip in her step told me today was going to be memorable.
How the fuck did I get so lucky? I love Ruby Decker. She was fascinating. Her courage and utter kindness for others amazed me. I thought we’d cruise through the day skipping lines, but no, Ruby made sure we waited, and she always let families go before us. Sure, we didn’t wait as long as the normal line, but I wasn’t used to waiting. I’d been doing way too much of it lately.
“I can’t wait until we can do that again. That was beyond amazing. I can barely believe how much I loved the roller coaster that went upside down and then just dropped backward. It was so thrilling. I felt so alive. It helped me feel so free. It reminded me that I am free. Do you think I’m weird?” She raised a brow as she looked at me.
Shaking my head, I leaned down and took her lips in a gentle, sensual kiss. My hands trailed up her back and she curled into me. The SUV jolted, and she eased back against the seat. “No. You’re perfect. I can’t wait until we find time to go to the other theme parks. The joy and your reactions to the rides mesmerize me. You remind me not to take my life for granted. You bring me so much sunshine.”
The pink that tinged her cheeks had my cock throbbing, eager to get home, hopeful. I had a feeling the talk we needed to have would douse my rising need though.
“You’re so sweet to me. No one has ever spoken to me like you do, and I love it.” She beamed at me, and all was right with my world. “Hope would love that. I saw they have a kid’s section and characters too. Thank you.” She brushed her lips over mine quickly. “This has been one of the best days of my life. I’ve had so much fun.” She sighed and leaned into me.
It was time to talk. It was the end of the day. I was hoping with her having such a big day that she’d be calm and wouldn’t hold back when I asked her about herself. It was a bit of a dickhead move, but I wanted all her guards down. I wanted to ask her about some things I wasn’t sure she’d enjoy talking about.
“Jaxson will come to Hope’s party if he finds out Jasmine is there.” This was an easy and safe start.
“Mmm. Sorry, what?” Ruby mumbled against me. She was sitting in the middle seat in the back of the SUV, next to me, her head rested on me.
“Andrew asked to come too. He adores Hope, and she wants him to come and hang out with her friends. I mean, mentally he’s the same age.”
“Isn’t he the same age as me?” Ruby asked.
“Yeah, but trust me, his behavior is on par with a three, four year old, so he’ll totally fit in.”
She giggled and patted my chest. “I haven’t met either of them. This is a three-year-old’s party and she already has her teachers coming to it. This was more for her friends. Aren’t we doing the rest of your family on Saturday?”
“You’re right. We are seeing them all on Saturday, and if Jaxson and Andrew came, the rest of the family would want to come also.”
“This is a lot.” She eased off me and I hated it, but we couldn’t put this off any longer. “I love your parents, and Cassie.” She smiled. She’d become good friends with Dustan’s wife Cassie. “Your brothers and Jade too, but I’m terrified of meeting the rest of your family. So far, my experiences with people other than my father’s group have been positive and no one seems to have recognized me. Truthfully, I worry because your family has the most reason to hate me and not accept me because of what my father did to your family.” She sighed. “I know I’ve been putting off meeting them all, but I’m scared.” Her gaze caught my own. “I didn’t even go to school. Then there is this thing you said you have about soulmates and stuff, but if I let myself believe this, let myself completely fall and open myself up, I wouldn’t survive. I mean sure, I’d live, but I think I would crack if this was all just some cruel revenge or torture. I lo…” I almost stopped breathing when I was sure she was about to tell me what I craved to hear, that she loved me or was coming to.
The car had stopped. We were home, but I didn’t want to stop her while she was finally letting go.
“No one but my brother has looked after me as long as I can remember. What you and your family have done for me is beyond anything I could even dream to wish of. To have things that I had never even dreamed of having…” She took my hands, threading our fingers together. “You’ve been patient. You’ve been a gentleman, and I’d never met one of those before you.”
“Why did you stay?” I’d been dying to ask her that for weeks now and she seemed to be on a roll.
“Stay with you?” She raised her brow.
“No.” I shook my head. “You helped others leave. Why didn’t you?”
Ruby tried to take her hands back, but I wasn’t giving up touching her. “I…I don’t…Dr. Heather asked that too.” I hated that her stutter had come back, but I relaxed when she stopped. “Toby, well, my mother was…no.” She shook her head and stared into space for a moment. “I’m not sure. I was scared. Crap, I’m so sick of being scared all the time. I want to be normal.” She gave an exaggerated wink. “I’m trying to be normal.”
“Oh, precious.” I let go of her hands, undoing her seatbelt and gathering her to me. “You’re anything but normal, and you know what? Fuck normal. I don’t know anyone who is supposedly normal.” I kissed her forehead. “What is normal anyway? I sure as shit am not. You are one in a billion, Ruby. I want you to know that you deserve the world.” I hugged her to me. “I want to make this clear—we are a team. You are my family. You don’t have to worry about meeting the rest of my crazy family, because you’re already family.” I leaned back and tilted her chin so she saw how serious I was. “You are mine.”
I opened the car door, and we eased out. When we were standing, I circled her waist with my arm as we went inside, and I took her straight to our room.
“You know that your father’s friends are up to their old tricks again. I think you might have noticed the extra security, but they have been around. I didn’t want to worry you.” We sit on the lounge in our sitting room.
“I’ve seen them. I saw them at the park, and I’ve felt a bad kind of ‘watching’ feeling here and there. Thanks to you though, I feel safe at the same time. I’ve never been able to breathe easily. Ha, that sounds silly, but I also felt like I was on eggshells for the last eighteen years.” She winced. “Especially after I was ra…” She looked away from me and then whispered, “I don’t remember. I was there, but not. My body was there. I was always there. I learned to go somewhere safe in my head when I was younger. When they beat me, I…” She sighed and snuggled against me and clutched me tight. “He shouted and ordered others to beat and do things to me, but the only time he ever actually did it himself was the day SWAT came.” She rubbed her hand over her face. Tears slid down her cheeks, and I dashed them away. “I should have left sooner. I did get out, but they watched and I never…” She chewed on her lip. “Thank you for making me safe and letting me experience that feeling. Thank you for helping me to live.”
This woman had my heart breaking. I was going to make sure she had the best life I could ever provide.